Life Is Never Easy
by LuckyStars14
Summary: Just as Sian Diamond thought her life was sorted, some unwanted problems are thrown her way. Now she has to choose between two men- one, her husband and fellow teacher; and the other, her ex-boyfriend and new boss. It should be an easy choice, right? Well, after some old feelings resurface, Sian's not too sure... -Sian/Jez Sian/Michael-
1. Chapter 1

_**So, this is my new story! I hope you all like it! I'm taking a break from Touched By Love for a bit because I'm having writers block (again!). Grr! Anyway, enjoy! **_

**Sian's Point Of View**

_I was groggy, and it was difficult to open my eyes. When I did, however, it made next to no difference, it was so dark. But I didn't need to see. The first thing that registered in my mind was PAIN. My whole body burned. Through my blurry vision, in the dim light of a distant street light, I could see a puddle of dark liquid. It was blood. I was lying in a pool of my own blood. It was seeping from cuts all over my body, soaking my clothes._

_I couldn't move, all of the energy had been sucked from my body, and I was left weak, helpless. Almost lifeless. I couldn't move, I could barely speak, and it hurt to breathe. Through the rain that has started to fall, I tried to attract attention from passers-by. "Help! Help me, somebody! Please!" I croaked, feebly._

_Nobody came, for what seemed like hours. I called for Jez, Michael, Madi, Zack, hoping that somebody, anybody, would come and save me. As the minutes ticked by, I felt myself slipping into the cold, bony hands of death…_

And then I woke up. It was okay. I was in my own bed, not down some dark alleyway. I was fine, no cuts or scratches anywhere. There was no blood, just the blue duvet covering me. I sighed with relief.

But even though I knew that it was just a dream, or rather, a nightmare, I couldn't feel reassured. I'd had that same nightmare so many times, and it wasn't just a nightmare, it had a meaning. I had tried to have everything: Jez and the kids; and Michael too. But it won't work, you can't have it all. Someday, it will come crashing down on me, and I'll lose everything. There won't be anybody there to come and help when I need it.

I looked at Jez, sleeping peacefully beside me. He didn't deserve to have a wrecked marriage. All he wanted was the best for us, all of us. He tried hard to make everybody happy, and he used to succeed, but now… I wasn't sure that Jez was the right choice, the one for me, any more.

Jez or Michael? This time last year, I would have said Jez, straight away, no doubts. But now, I wasn't so sure. I had feelings for Michael again, there was no point denying it. But why? Why do I have feelings for Michael now, after I've married Jez? Why couldn't I have felt this way while I was still with Michael? It's so unfair! Cupid's failing me at the moment, what with his rubbish timing and bad aim.

A tear slid down my cheek and onto the pillow. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just wanted life to be simple. I wanted one clear answer that I could stick to, without any heartbreak. But life isn't like that. Life is complicated, life is difficult. In this situation, heartbreak is unavoidable. This decision, Michael or Jez, would be the most difficult decision of all.

Of course, life is never easy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sian's Point Of View**

I heard Jez get up at 7 and go for his Saturday morning run. Not me, I huddled under the duvet, savouring the fact that I could have a lie-in. After the nightmare, I hadn't slept too well, and when I finally woke up again, it had gone 10 o'clock. Actually, it was closer to eleven. I went downstairs in my pyjamas, finding Jez in the living room. He grinned, kissing me as I collapsed onto the sofa.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty."  
"Morning," I yawned, combing through my hair with my fingers.  
"Enjoy your lie-in?"  
"Yes. Enjoy your run?"  
"Yep, I did. I went through the woods and along the river, for a change. Nice run, that. I should do it more often."  
"Okay, cool. Done anything useful since you've got back?"  
"Yeah, I mowed the lawn."  
"Oh, didn t hear you.  
"You were very fast asleep. You didn t even wake up when I knocked the stuff off the cabinet in the bathroom."  
Mmm. I did tend to sleep very deeply after a nightmare. "Did you break anything?"  
"Only that bottle of bubble bath... joking, Sian, joking!" He said, seeing my face. That bubble bath was VERY expensive.  
"Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" I muttered, reaching for the laptop.

"Jez, Madi's left herself logged into Facebook again!"  
"Oh, she always does that, even though she has a laptop of her own... Give it here."  
I passed Jez the laptop and watched as he typed a status, posted it, and returned the laptop to me.  
"Did you just frape your own daughter?! Oh, how cruel!" I said, laughing at the status. Madi might just kill her Dad now.  
"She deserves it; she needs to log off all the time. Someday she'll leave it on a public computer and it won't just be the status that gets changed."  
"I know, I know."

I looked down my Facebook news feed, which mostly consisted of pointless statuses (people don't need to say good morning to Facebook!) and Farmville requests (no, I will not give you virtual manure!). I couldn't help lingering a bit longer than necessary on Michael's page, and then jumping guiltily when Jez spoke to me.  
"Sorry, what did you say?"  
"I asked, Miss Head-In-The-Clouds, if you wanted to go shopping today?"  
"Yeah, that'd be good. Depends what Madi and Zack say."  
"Wait a moment," Jez walked out into the hallway, and yelled up the stairs. "Madi! Zack! Come downstairs!"  
Zack appeared straight away; already dressed (he's an early riser like his Dad). Madi took a bit longer, and by the time she had dragged herself downstairs, Zack was stuck into a game on the Playstation.

"Dad!" Madi groaned. "Why did you have to wake me up?"  
"Madi, it s gone eleven. You should be awake by now."  
"Well, I wasn't. Anyway, what did you want?"  
"I was wondering if you two want to come shopping?"  
"Yeah, okay." Zack said, without turning around.  
"Yes, Dad, but I need money, I'm broke." Madi batted her eyelashes.  
Jez sighed. "How much do you want?"  
"Er, £70?"  
"Dream on, Madi."  
"Fine, £40."  
"You're lucky that you're getting more than 10p, the way you treat me."  
"Sorry. Please may I have some money, Daddy?" Madi asked, giving Jez puppy-dog eyes.

I watched this exchange with amusement. Madi and Zack were great kids, and after a rocky beginning, we were getting on very well. I wouldn't want to leave them. Jeez, why does this keep ruining everything? There isn't a day where I'm not thinking about Michael or Jez, who to choose. I wish it would leave me alone for just a few hours!

Finally, we are all dressed, fed, and we are ready to go shopping. As soon as we get there, Madi drags us to the designer shops like Superdry and Jack Wills, and she ends up with an armful of clothes, costing way more than £40. After trying them on and finding that they all fit, she begs us to fork out on them. Jez caves, giving her the money.  
"Now you know why she regards you as a walking, talking piggy bank." I smile. He smiles back, knowing what I said was true.

My phone buzzes, and I see that I have a text from Michael. The fourth one today, actually. I sigh, irritated. Why does he have to keep making moves on me? I'm perfectly happy as I am... I'm beginning to wish that Jez and I did not accept the job offer at Waterloo Road. We could have got a way better job, we only did it to help a friend.

Pah, friend. Friends don't end their text messages with kisses.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sian's Point Of View**

Beep-beep-beep-beep... The alarm went off, and as usual, it was a harsh, annoying and sometimes unwelcome start to the day. Not only did it drag you out of a nice sleep or a good dream, but most days it also meant that you had to get up and teach at Waterloo Road.

I sat up in bed, still half-asleep, turning off the alarm with one hand and rubbing my eyes with the other. It wasn't a particularly early start- it was 7am, which is still quite early but not as early as it would have been if we'd had a staff meeting...

* * *

30 minutes later, and I'm showered and dressed. All I have to do is eat breakfast and sort out lunch for Jez and I (Madi and Zach get school dinners), and I'm ready to go. There's just one thing I have to do first, and that is wake up the kids...

"Zach?" I call from the hallway, deciding to tackle the easier one first. "Are you up?"  
"Yep, just coming!" He replies. He's probably been up since seven as well. As I've mentioned before, he's an early bird.  
"Madi?!" I call, standing outside of her door now. "It's time to wake up."  
"God, go away, Sian."  
I flinch. I know it's just Madi's usual morning attitude- i.e grumpy to everyone and everything- but it still gets me when she tells me to go away, almost as if it's because it's ME. "Madi, you need to get up, you'll be late."  
"Don't care. Leave me alone!"  
"Madi..." I plead, unsure of what else to say or do, even though this is something we go through every day.  
"Alright, Sian?" Jez asks, coming out of our bedroom.  
"Yeah, Madi's not getting up, as usual." I groan. "Every single day..."  
"Don't let it get to you- Madi would test the patience of a saint in the mornings." Jez turns and bangs loudly on Madi's door. "Madeline! Get up, now! You will be downstairs in five minutes, or else!" We can hear various complaints from Madi's room, but we leave her to it, and go downstairs for breakfast with Zach.

Finally, Madi is awake. Grumpy, but awake. We all eat and get our stuff ready, and then we get into the car. After Madi got mugged a few months ago, Jez persuaded them to come in the car with us. I think that Madi is secretly glad not to have to walk to school any more.  
"Dad, can you put Radio 1 on, please?" Madi asks.  
"Yeah, course." Jez changes the radio channel and Nicki Minaj's 'Super Bass' blares out of the speakers. Madi immediately starts singing, very loudly. Jez covers his ears.  
"Jez, you're driving!" I squeal, and he immediately puts his hands back on the wheel.  
"We were going about 5mph down a back street, Sian, calm down!"  
"Oh well! Please concentrate on driving."  
"I would, if my daughter would shut up!"  
"But Dad, this is my favourite song!"  
"Doesn't mean you have to sing to it. If I sung along to my favourite songs, you would be complaining."  
"Yes, but I am good at singing, and you are not. That is why I can sing, and you can't."  
"Nothing like a compliment from your eldest daughter." Jez grins.

* * *

"Morning, Michael." I say, walking into the office.  
"Ah, morning Sian." He says, looking up from the paperwork that is in front of him.  
"Budgets?" I ask.  
"Yep, you got it. Nicki and Tom finally gave me the English one this morning, but I need the Geography and PE ones. You wouldn't mind getting them, would you?"  
"Of course not, that's my job." I say. I head to the staffroom, and find the Geography budgets immediately. Of course, now I have to go and find Jez to get the PE budgets.

"Hey honey." Jez says as I walk into his classroom.  
"Hello. You know what I'm here for, right?"  
"Department budgets?" Jez sighs.  
"Spot on. Is it ready?"  
"Well, I'm trying to do them now, but... I'm not doing very well."  
"Want some help?"  
"Yes please!" He grins, pulling me onto his lap. I squeal but grab the pen and start doing the budgets with him.

After about 20 minutes, Michael walks in, looking slightly irritated. "Sian, I asked you to get the budgets." He says.  
"That's what I'm doing..."  
"Jez should have done them before, not left them until this morning."  
"Jez can do them whenever he wants, the deadline is this lunchtime and we will have finished them before then. I don't see you telling Nicki this, she and Tom always do their budgets late. Is it just because it's Jez, Michael?"  
"Of course not. Well, get them done. And Sian, I would suggest getting a chair of your own." He says, storming out of the classroom.  
"Someone got out of the wrong side of bed this morning." Jez remarks, rolling his eyes.  
"Yes, he did." I say, wondering if Michael will ever leave our relationship alone.


End file.
